In celebration of Silicon Valley Pride Week, a new exhibition in downtown San Jose is dedicated to two LGBTQ performing arts groups that have undoubtedly made a splash over the past few decades.
“Sing Out With Pride,” the first exhibition at the new Queer Silicon Valley and BAYMEC Community Foundation gallery at 240 S. Market St., explores the history of the Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus and the Rainbow Women’s Chorus.
“This is important because it not only makes our groups better known, but also because it makes people more aware of the gay and lesbian community,” says Ruth Huber, co-artistic director and house composer of the Rainbow Women’s Chorus, which was founded in 1996 – just a year before Huber joined.
The Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus was founded in 1983 as the Lieberman Chorus of San Jose, and its initial group of 10 artists performed its first full concert the following June as part of the city’s Gay Pride celebration. Forty years later, the organization continues to thrive, with membership growing from 23 in 2017 to 65 this year.
Corey Miller, who joined SVGMC as a singer in 2017 and is now its artistic director, said the group is like a family. “Seeing these artists being creative and people singing is something the community can be proud of.”
The exhibit includes photographs, costumes, programs and awards, as well as a video showing performances by both groups. The rest of the gallery space is devoted to exhibits from “Coming Out: 50 Years of Queer Resistance and Resilience in Silicon Valley,” which was exhibited at History Park several years ago. For more information about the new gallery, visit www.queersiliconvalley.org/exhibit.
PRIDE PLANS: Of course, a good time to visit the new gallery would be this weekend during the Silicon Valley Pride Festival and Parade. (Remember, in San Jose we celebrate Pride Month in both June and August.)
The festival will take place on Saturday from 6pm to 11pm in the Plaza de Cesar Chavez and will continue at noon on Sunday. The parade will begin at 10:30am on Sunday morning and will head south from Julian and Market Streets to the park and the festival.
You can also look forward to the Silicon Valley Pride-themed Pobladores Night Market on Thursday night at the corner of William and South First Streets, which will be open from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information on Pride activities, visit svpride.com.
THE PLACE OF A WOMAN: The San Jose City Council had an easy decision to make on Tuesday and, without hesitation, unanimously approved naming the City Hall Rotunda in honor of former Mayor Janet Gray Hayes, who was the first woman to be elected mayor of a major U.S. city in 1974.
Of course, just because the decision was easy, it took a while for several prominent community leaders to voice their support. They included former Mayor Tom McEnery, former Councilmembers David Pandori and Margie Matthews, Gloria Chun Hoo, vice president of the Board of Women Voters of California, Barbara Krause, who served as chief of staff to Hayes’ mayor, former Santa Clara County Councilwoman Blanca Alvarado, and Hayes’ daughter Katherine Ann Hayes Rodriguez.
“This tribute to Janet Gray Hayes is also a respect and recognition for the few women who served as mentors to her and for the many, many women who were mentored by Janet Gray Hayes or who benefited from her tenure and mentorship,” Matthews said.
FOOD AT THE FAIR: The Santa Clara County Fair may be over, but the fairgrounds are still in operation, kicking off the Feast Mode food and music series, which begins August 22 and runs four Thursdays through September 12. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. with live music, food trucks and booths, and a variety of beverages for kids and adults. Admission is free, and for more information visit www.facebook.com/FeastmodeSJ.
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